This Ain't No Promised Land by Tina Shelton is the emotional story of three generations of women in a family. The story in this debut novel is told by 14-year-old Gracey and her mother Charlotte and delves into weighty topics including identity, grief, regret, abandonment, and forgiveness.
Overwhelmed with grief, Charlotte does the unthinkable and flees Chicago while her daughters ages 12, 14, and 16 are in school, leaving them unsupervised. The girls do their best to keep up with school and the house, but despite the support of compassionate neighbors, they can't manage on their own indefinitely, and authorities eventually intervene in their mother's absence.
I really appreciated that Charlotte's perspective is shared, both current and past, told in memories/flashbacks. While it doesn't negate her neglect, it provided insight into her actions. The novel explores the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, and the questionable behavior isn't limited to Charlotte's choice to leave.
This was such a unique reading experience, like a 'general market' novel with the immersive writing style and gritty topics and then references to faith, church, and God, seamlessly woven into the plot, reminded me that it's a Christian fiction novel. For this reason, it earns a rare 5-star rating from me, and I'm eager to see what Ms. Shelton writes next.
Thank you to the author and Kregel Publications for the review copy of this memorable novel. All opinions are my own.
Overwhelmed with grief, Charlotte does the unthinkable and flees Chicago while her daughters ages 12, 14, and 16 are in school, leaving them unsupervised. The girls do their best to keep up with school and the house, but despite the support of compassionate neighbors, they can't manage on their own indefinitely, and authorities eventually intervene in their mother's absence.
I really appreciated that Charlotte's perspective is shared, both current and past, told in memories/flashbacks. While it doesn't negate her neglect, it provided insight into her actions. The novel explores the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, and the questionable behavior isn't limited to Charlotte's choice to leave.
This was such a unique reading experience, like a 'general market' novel with the immersive writing style and gritty topics and then references to faith, church, and God, seamlessly woven into the plot, reminded me that it's a Christian fiction novel. For this reason, it earns a rare 5-star rating from me, and I'm eager to see what Ms. Shelton writes next.
Thank you to the author and Kregel Publications for the review copy of this memorable novel. All opinions are my own.
